In the middle of the Top 25 are some legendary teams that are looking for their return to glory. They may have had successful seasons in the past, but 2011 proved to not be their best. Starting off the weekend:

15. Wisconsin

“We all know that Wisconsin has always been good at sports, so it’s no surprise to see them being in the polls. I don’t see them being anywhere high up but I also don’t see them being anywhere towards the bottom. They will most likely hold their place around the middle of the polls for the entire season because they don’t have the players to take them to the top right now.”

Allie Balog, CSF Associate Editor

“The Wisconsin Badgers have a lot to replace this season. The loss of Russell Wilson, Nick Toon, and the entire right side of their offensive line will be a lot to overcome. However, after scoring 39 touchdowns and rushing for nearly 2,000 yards last season Montee Ball decided to come back for his last season. He will provide most of the offense for Wisconsin as they seem to be in a bit of rebuilding this year.”

Garrett Mayers, CSF Writer/Contributor

14. Michigan State

“Michigan State is out to prove how good they are in more than just basketball. They are slowly becoming one of those schools that schools don’t want to play because they are determined. Michigan State doesn’t like to lose in anything and that they will do their best to ensure that they are ranked well in this season’s polls. It’s just a matter of how good their players are this season that will be the final factor.”

Allie Balog, CSF Associate Editor

“Michigan State is looking to go undefeated at home this year, but they can only do that if they put forth everything they have. They will require speed and defense to get past teams like Michigan and Iowa. Mark Dantonio has a tough schedule ahead of him and the Spartans, but they just need to remember to keep up the effort.”

Elizabeth Garabedian, CSF Writer/Contributor

13. Arkansas

“Unfortunately for Arkansas, Bobby Petrino was a much better play-caller than he was motorcyclist. The Razorbacks already had an uphill battle, trying to knock off LSU and Bama in the SEC West, but Petrino’s abrupt firing has all but knocked them out of the picture. Still, quarterback Tyler Wilson will post big numbers and will have the Razorbacks in the Top 25.”

Jeff Dunbar, CSF Senior Editor

“A rocky offseason saw the dismissal of Bobby Petrino and the loss of playmakers on both sides of the ball, but the Razorbacks have the talent to overcome the challenges created. QB Tyler Wilson, already pegged by some as the top pick in next year’s NFL Draft, will be even better in 2012. He’ll be joined by a group of unproven, but skilled players on offense and defense who look to make an impact in the SEC.”

Anthony Manzella, CSF Writer/Contributor

12. Kansas State

“Kansas State is racking up a bunch of preseason awards for student-athletes and all-Americans, but if they are looking to be a top contender, they need to keep that up when the fall arrives. Collin Klein already has made his mark for the Wildcats, so as long as he can encourage the rest of the offense to do the same, Kansas State is on its way to redeem glory.”

Elizabeth Garabedian, CSF Writer/Contributor

“The Wildcats surprised some last year, going 10-3 and losing to high-powered Arkansas in the AT&T. That will not be the case this year, however. Amassing over 3,000 combined yards and 40 touchdowns, QB Collin Klein enters the 2012 season a legitimate Heisman contender. Top WR Chris Harper and RB John Hubert return and will join Klein to create a dangerous offense.”

Anthony Manzella, CSF Writer/Contributor

11. TCU

“The Horned Frogs finally have their shot playing with the big boys. A depleted Big 12 Conference got a huge shot in the arm when TCU and West Virginia joined the fold. Head coach Gary Patterson has shown that his teams fear no one and can perform on the big stage. The big test now is if they have the depth to make through a tough conference schedule. With a Texas program still trying to fight its way back to what it once was and a Baylor team minus RG3, look for TCU to show that they belong in their inaugural season in their new conference.”

Jeff Dunbar, CSF Senior Editor

“The Horned Frogs are a very interesting case this season as they are now part of the Big 12. TCU will be returning most of their high powered offense, but they did lose 3 starting offensive lineman. The question will linger all season as to if TCU will be able to handle the Big 12.”

Garrett Mayers, CSF Writer/Contributor

In SI.com’s recent 2012 Mock Draft by Don Banks, college football fans see a lot of usual suspects.  Even if you’re not college football fan, you’ll notice that eight players he projects played in the BCS Title game that featured a rematch of LSU and Alabama.

You also see the top three Heisman candidates projected in the top 5.  In this edition of CSF, we take a look at Banks’ top 5 projected picks and we go Magic 8-ball on you to determine whether or not these players will make an immediate impact in the NFL.

1.  Indianapolis Colts:  Andrew Luck/QB Stanford: Unless the Colts feel they can win with two quarterbacks hijacking over $50 million in salary cap, at some point before March 8th, Peyton Manning will sign with a different team for the 2012 season.  This opens the door for Luck to see action immediately this fall.

Will he prove his worth in years 1 and 2?

Jeff’s Magic 8 Ball Answer:  Ask again later. I know, I know…not much of an answer, but sometimes, the Magic 8-Ball is vague, and in the case of the Colts, so is their immediate future.  The Colts showed last season that they are in shambles.  They hope to catch lightning in a bottle twice, with their second correct choice of a 1st round QB.  While Luck is a great player, it will take at least two drafts or a shift in philosophy (owner Jim Irsay has never been one to go after star free agents), and Luck will likely run into the same issues that St. Louis Rams QB Sam Bradford is facing–with no weapons around him, it doesn’t matter how talented your quarterback is.

2.  Cleveland Browns:  Robert Griffin III/QB Baylor: In Banks’ mock draft, he sees the the Browns trading up with the Rams, and more importantly, he sees them selecting a bigger, faster, more athletic version of their current QB Colt McCoy.  McCoy has done a serviceable job in his first two years for a really bad team, but unless he takes a huge step forward in year three, expect RG3 to be the starter this fall.

Will he prove his worth in years 1 and 2?

Jeff’s Magic 8-Ball Answer:  Outlook not so good. RG3′s speed and athleticism are unparalleled, but he doesn’t have the size of Cam Newton.  He’s bigger than Michael Vick and is more of a pass-first QB, but let’s be honest–Griffin’s running ability is a big part of his game.  His speed and elusiveness will what puts him on Sportscenter’s top plays, but it could be what puts him out of football.  As with the Colts, the Browns (or any other team that drafts RG3) have more needs than just the quarterback position, and the lack of weapons will lead to a lot of hits on a star QB.

3.  Minnesota Vikings:  Matt Kalil/OT USC: Banks sites the need to bolster the O-line over another speedy wideout.  As with most any offensive tackles taken high in the draft, expect Kalil to find the field immediately, and should the Vikings choose the talented tackle, he certainly has the ability to anchor an offensive line for a long time.

Will he prove his worth in years 1 and 2?

Jeff’s Magic 8-Ball Answer:  Without a doubt. Kalil is a force on the run and pass, and he will prove his worth right away.  In fact, Kalil’s departure from USC was one of the main reasons many experts thought that quarterback Matt Barkley would also leave this year for the NFL.  If Kalil is available, the Vikings don’t want to pass on dominant tackle that should make a few Pro-Bowl appearances by his third year in the league.

4.  St. Louis Rams:  Justin Blackmon/WR Oklahoma State: Assuming Banks is correct and the Rams trade their second pick to Cleveland, Blackmon would be an ideal pick.  Sam Bradford has been without an impact wide receiver since he got in the league two years ago.  Help could be on the way this fall for the tackling dummy, I mean quarterback for the Rams.  Bradford will still be running for his life behind a pourus offensive line, but at least he’ll have a stud to throw the ball to this season.

Will he prove his worth in years 1 and 2?

Jeff’s Magic 8-Ball Answer:  It is decidely so. Blackmon would have been a first rounder in last year’s draft, but he was only a sophomore.  And unlike fellow Okie State first round selection Dez Bryant, Blackmon isn’t a knucklehead and should be able to learn a playbook.  Any doubts as to whether Blackmon was a legit top 5 pick were put to rest in the Fiesta Bowl last month, when Blackmon absolutely went off, hauling in eight catches for 186 yards and three touchdowns.  Expect much of the same in the NFL.

5.  Tampa Bay Bucs:  Trent Richardson/RB Alabama: Banks believes the Bucs could benefit from another bruising back to complement LaGarrette Blount, and Richardson is easily the best running back in this draft.  At 224 lbs., he has the size to run between the tackles, but he also has the balance and speed to go along with it, qualities that allowed him to average over six yards a carry in the SEC, despite being the focal point of every defense he faced.

Will he prove his worth in years 1 and 2?

Jeff’s Magic 8-Ball Answer:  As I see it, yes. The fact that the Bucs already have a big, physical back in Blount means that the addition of Richardson will cut down on carries for each of the running backs, and they will see the same benefit that Alabama saw in Richardson’s first season with the Crimson Tide, when he split carries with Mark Ingram.  If a different team selects Richardson and he is forced to carry the ball 250-300 times, well…I’ll have to re-check the 8-Ball for an updated answer.

Click here to see Don Banks’ 2012 NFL Mock Draft 2.0 for his full first round projections and analysis, and check back later this week for my Magic 8-Ball impact predictions later this week.

There has been a ton of debate since the BCS top 10 was announced on Sunday. Regardless of the debate of who is more deserving to play undefeated LSU, the decision to allow a rematch between the Tigers and Alabama has a lot of college football fans in an uproar.  (photo courtesy of blogs.ajc.com)

Oklahoma State created the buzz when they not only won the Big 12 (which…has ten teams, but that’s not important right now), and they did so in convincing fashion, blowing out the preseason #1 Oklahoma Sooners 44-10.  Critics of the Alabama pick to play in the title match cite the fact that Alabama didn’t even win their own conference, and that the Crimson Tide lost their game at home versus the road loss the Oklahoma State Cowboys incurred at Iowa State.

As much as I cannot stand the BCS, here are three reasons they actually got it right:

1.  If you’re not in the SEC, you had better go undefeated: Like it or not, the SEC is the king of college football conferences…and it’s not even close.  Even the SEC was a bit watered down this year, mostly due to the underachieving SEC East Division, but here is something to chew on.  The last five (and soon to be six) BCS National Champions are SEC teams, so it’s not just love from ESPN and the media that makes it look like the SEC is the best conference–the SEC proves it and has proven it for the last 60 months.  Because of that kind of track record, the SEC is always going to have a leg up.

2.  The Big 12 was not nearly as good as it showed in the polls. While Baylor and Kansas State have been great stories for college football, other than Oklahoma State, the Big 12 was watered down, and that dilution began before the season even kicked off, when Nebraska bolted for the Big Ten (…which actually has twelve teams…but that’s not important right now).  Add to Nebraska’s departure, Oklahoma vastly underachieving, when you consider they were the preseason #1, a down year for Missouri, a Texas A&M team that was completely whipped in the second half of practically every game, and how in the world Texas was consistently ranked is beyond me–they finished with a very underwhelming 7-5 record and still have no offense.  Bottom line–the Big 12 was a far cry from a BCS heavyweight.

3.  Let’s compare losses: Bama lost at home in overtime against LSU, who is the #1 team in the country.  Oklahoma State lost on the road to Iowa State, who checks in as the #54 ranked team in the country, according to CBSSports.com.  Iowa State finished the season with a not-so-stout 8th place finish in the 10-team Big 12 Conference, just ahead of lowly Texas Tech and Kansas.  Conversely, Bama lost to LSU, who beat the Pac 12 Champ (Oregon), the Big East Champ (West Virginia), the SEC East Champion (Georgia), the #2 team in the nation (Bama at the time) and Arkansas, who ranked #3 at the time and finished the regular season rankings at #7.

Overall Conclusion: You don’t deserve a shot at a national championship if you lose to the 54th best team in the country.  We should expect much more than that from a national champ.  The SEC is going to be king until another conference can knock them off the top of the mountain.

Let us know your take on it…..reply to this post, and feel free to banter on our facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/#!/CollegeSportsFeed

What was supposed to be a ho-hum weekend of college football turned out to be the biggest upset weekend of the season. CSF breaks down the national championship update and the current state of the Heisman from the week that reshaped the 2011 season and put the BCS picture into a tizzy.

Upset Weekend: The weekend got off to a crazy start on Friday, when #2 Oklahoma State, who controlled their own destiny to a Big 12 Title and BCS National Championship game, was stunned in Ames to the Iowa State Cyclones.  The loss took OSU out of the national title hunt all together and severely jeopardized quarterback Brandon Weeden’s chance at the Heisman Trophy.

On Saturday, Oregon looked to take advantage of the Oklahoma State loss and jump to at least 3rd nationally, but those hopes were dashed on a missed field goal at the end of regulation to Matt Barkley and USC.  The Ducks fought their way back into the game (USC led 38-14 at one point) but ultimately fell short 38-35.  Oregon’s second loss officially puts them out of the BCS Title hunt as well.

About an hour later, Oklahoma, who had trailed most of the game to Robert Griffin III and his Baylor team, also found themselves in great position to make a push for a BCS title run.  OU quarterback Landry Jones battled his team back into the game and forced an apparent overtime, but Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops got greedy.  With Baylor conceding overtime, they attempted to run the clock out, but Oklahoma opted to use a timeout in attempt to get the ball back with less than a minute to go.  Griffin III showed the Sooners that when you play with fire, you get burned.  The junior QB led his team down the field by running and passing and capped off the game’s final drive with a touchdown pass to Terrance Williams with 8 seconds left on the clock to regain a seven-point lead, and the Bears beat Oklahoma for the first time in 21 tries by a score of 45-38.

Heisman will come down to the wire: All season, the Heisman front-runners have changed more frequently than Charlie Sheen’s roommates.  Here’s the recap.  Stanford’s Andrew Luck is up.  Okie State’s Brandon Weeden is down.  Baylor’s Robert Griffin III has worked his way back in the picture after being forgotten for the last month.  Bama’s Trent Richardson is back in the hunt, but Oregon’s LaMichael James dropped significantly.  Boise State’s Kellen Moore is all but forgotten.  Meanwhile, Houston’s Case Keenum has 38 TDs and only three interceptions, while Wisconsin’s Montee Ball has continued his record-setting season with 31 total touchdowns, respectively.  Oh, yeah….and Kansas State’s Colin Klein has 36 total touchdowns for the surprising Wildcats.  But don’t worry.  The major rivalry games take place this weekend, so all of this is likely to change in a week.  Confused yet?  Just wait until the conference championship games happen in two weeks.